we've got the debate starting next week. it's a long way to go, it's politics. anything could happen. right now the obama campaign is solidly and consistently ahead. tactically what that means is the obama campaign has to convert being ahead in people's preferences to actual votes. since they are clearly ahead a good time to get those votes cast is right now. because thanks to early voting people are casting ballots right now. so this lead that they would in the polls can be turned into actual votes while they're still ahead even if they don't end up being this far ahead by election day. iowa became the first swing state in the nation where voters are actually voting early in person. iowa has these really interesting rules where if you get enough signatures from your area you can ask to have a pop-up polling place. sort of like if food trucks offered voting. obama supporters arranged for a pop-up polling place at the university of iowa today. they had the first lady go to the university of northern iowa. it was not a get out the vote event. rather, it was a much